Student Pursues Lifelong Dream

2010-06-10

For art major Gregory Sachetti '11, MCLA is the perfect place to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a professional artist. And, not only is the college close to his home in Pittsfield, Mass., the North Adams location and convenient class scheduling allow him to continue to work at he earns his degree.

At MCLA, "The art department is great and I fit right in. The professors are great and have taught me things I never knew, that have affected my art," said Sachetti. "I have been doing art since I can remember. Now attending MCLA, I have been given a different view. The classes take us out into the world to draw and paint.

"When I begin a painting," he continued, "I just put brush to canvas and go. Eventually I find something in the painting I like. If I start with an idea, such as a landscape, or figure, I will start with a classical-inspired method, and then through random chance figure out what I like. Once I find something I don't want to change I will build around it with a similar style until I have a finished work."

To Sachetti, many times a finished work will seem uncompleted.

"I stare at each painting every day and notice imperfections. ... If I don't like it, I paint over it. Painting over other paintings leaves a great texture behind that totally influences the piece," he explained. "My main focus is, no matter what I paint, it should evoke emotion."

Recently, Sachetti took a major step forward with his goal of becoming a professional artist. He, along with Merritt Fletcher '10 of North Adams, Mass., were selected by the Berkshire Art Association (BAA) to participate in its 2010 Fellowship Show at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts in Pittsfield.

"Being accepted for the BAA fellowship show was amazing," said Sachetti. "I have only shown my work a few times, mainly for school shows, but never in a gallery like the Lichtenstein Center. To have my work chosen from so many other great artists is a huge honor. To have my work actually viewed by groups of people was an experience, to say the least."

Two of his paintings were selected for exhibition in the show. One was a piece influenced by Philip Pearlstein, one of the most important and innovative artists of the contemporary Realist school.

"His nude figures keep simple tone and shape, while showing the classical style," Sachetti explained. "The other piece was a three-panel painting that focused more on chance and figure than with style. It is a darker painting with figures representing - among other things - hell, emotion, life, sacrifice and loss. With the incomplete-looking figures and deterioration of another, this piece can represent many things."

He plans to continue his education, pursuing the arts and his dream of a career as an artist.

The experience of exhibiting his art in the Lichtenstein Center, said Sachetti, "vindicates what I have been doing my whole life. In my future education, only good things can come."